Key Lime Pie

Many moons ago, while having dinner at my brother-in-law’s restaurant, I was treated to his Key Lime Pie. I was instantly in love. Smooth, frozen, not too sweet, limey puckering goodness.

I begged for this recipe. It was one of those things that you just had to re-create at home … and I have, many, many times over the years, mostly at my son Tommy’s request.

I made this for him the night before he moved to New Zealand … sigh, that child is sorely missed … and had most of the blog post written, but was very dissatisfied with the resulting photos of the finished pie. Not my fault. Sometimes it’s very hard to make something you are about to put on the table … NO. I WANT TO CUT IT NOW. I CAN’T WAIT! Such was the case with the Key Lime Pie.

Communications with my chickadee is difficult … busy schedules, massive time difference, and boy children are uncommunicative under the best of circumstances.

Suddenly on Facebook a note pops up … ‘Mom, I want to make your Key Lime Pie. Would you send me the recipe and walk me through it.’ I was quite chuffed. Asking for MY help, wanting to recreate something that brings him fond (and missed) memories of home, a chance to spend some (although virtual) time with my boy, his curiosity and desire to be in the kitchen, take your pick. They were all good and plucked at my heartstrings.

So, off the recipe went through the internet. It’s a pretty simple recipe, but as a newcomer to the kitchen, the task was a bit daunting. Many emails went back and forth with questions. Three Skype sessions for further clarification.

Truthfully, when I began to cook, after I had left home, I had NO CLUE whatsoever about recipes, pots and pans, spices, herbs. I had ONE cookbook, the Joy of Cooking. But, I had my Mom. I spent years in the kitchen, listening to her cook, smelling how things came together, occasionally watching her cook. I really had no interest in jumping in to cook. When I was first on my own and staring at ingredients with no clue of where to go with them or how to begin, I would call her and ask … “How do I make a pot roast?”, “How do I make beef stew?”, “What about tomato sauce?” And these questions came repeatedly. She must have felt much the same way I do now … I did something right, sparked an interest, traditions of flavor passed on to another generation.

Most of my cooking came straight from my childhood dinner table. My mother is a wonderful cook (though she chronically does not read a new recipe through, and some fabulous recipes have come from those booboos) Her mother was a wonderful cook. My, have I come a long way. Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Grandma.

So off Tommy went into the terrifying place known as the kitchen, armed with this recipe, lots of advice, and the support of three generations of women who have lovingly fed him.

After what seemed like many joyful hours of back and forth … Ta-da! Pie done. Great feelings of accomplishment from his end … and mine. The culinary torch is being passed on. The pie was great. Gone in a sitting.

Thanks for the lend of the great pie photo, little one. I’m proud of your success and applaud your adventurous spirit!

Crust:

• 1 section of graham crackers, crushed
• 2 oz butter, melted

Filling:

• Juice of 6 limes, plus zest
• 5 large egg yolks
• 2 cans sweetened condensed milk

NOTE: I use regular limes, so I don’t have an exact liquid amount for subbing in key limes. They’re very difficult to come by in my neck of the woods, and using bottled is OUT.OF.THE.QUESTION!

Mix butter and crushed graham crackers. Use just enough butter so the crumbs hold together. Press crumb mixture into a 9″ pie plate to form crust. Freeze.

NOTE: You may need a little extra melted butter.

In a mixing bowl beat egg yolks until pale yellow.

While beating, slowly add condensed milk so eggs become smooth. Stir in lime juice and zest.

Fill crust with filling and freeze until firm.

NOTE: You can add a piping of whipped cream around the edge or plop dollops of whipped cream in top. In my house, the key lime pie stands alone, naked.

And this is what the pie looked like within MOMENTS!!

And this was gone before morning!

Vidalia Onion & Bacon Pie

One of my favorite features of the Sunday New York Daily News is Relish Magazine. The cooking sections in the New York area papers have become seriously lacking, so when Relish came along a number of years ago, it was a welcome addition.

I don’t remember if I saw this recipe on their website or in the magazine, but I knew instantly that this was something that needed to be made.

It’s a little preparation bogged down, but the end result is certainly worth the time. A friend of mine made this as well, but the bacon on only half as there is a vegetarian in the house. Though my non-red meat eating sister will tell you bacon doesn’t count. It is its own food group.

I have already been thinking of different twists on this and know I will come back to it again and again.

Crust:

• Cooking spray
• 1/2  C cornmeal
• 1/2  C all-purpose flour
• 1  t baking powder
• 1/2  t salt
• 1 egg
• 2  T butter
• 2 to 4  T ice water

NOTE: The crust needed something more. Maybe a little more salt. Maybe a little sugar. Oh, maybe a kick of cayenne. But the cornmeal crust was wonderful. Perfect for filling with tomatoes and mozzarella and basil.

Filling:

• 1  T butter
• 3  medium Vidalia or sweet onions, slivered
• 2  eggs
• 1/2  C half-and-half
• 1/2  t salt
• 1/4  t freshly ground black pepper, plus more for top
• 1  C (4-ounces) shredded white Cheddar cheese
• 1/2  C corn kernels, fresh or frozen
• 4  slices thick, smoky-style bacon, cooked and chopped

NOTE: FOUR? Only FOUR? Now, you know that would never do! I cheated, I used a a couple more.  I silvered the onions by cutting each in half and the thinly slicing them. Cutting through the pie, the slivers are too long and difficult to cut while slicing and eating. Next time maybe the slivers need to be cut a bit – most likely AFTER caramelizing them.

To prepare crust, coat a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate with cooking spray

Place cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a pastry cutter blade; pulse to combine. Add egg and butter; pulse until mixed. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until a dough ball forms. This will form a sticky mass of dough. Press into pan. If the dough is too sticky, add a little cornmeal.

NOTE:  I used nearly 2 tablespoons of water to form a ball. But when I took it out of the food processor it was really sticky. Instead of putting the blade back in and getting the sticky mess back into the bowl, I sprinkled cornmeal over the top and that kept the dough from sticking to my hands.

Preheat oven to 350F.

To prepare filling, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Drain if necessary.

NOTE: And – purely with an eye toward waste not want not  – I cooked the onions in the bacon fat.  I did still add the butter in – can you have enough butter or bacon? I don’t think so either!

Combine eggs, half-and-half, salt and pepper in a bowl. Whisk well. On bottom of pie, sprinkle half the shredded cheese. Top with corn kernels,  onions and bacon.

Pour egg mixture over top. Top with remaining cheese and freshly ground black pepper.

Bake 40 minutes, until top is set and browned.

NOTES: Before baking, I sprinkled the top with chopped scallions. Be careful not to over bake. The cheese gets a little too dense if it gets too brown. I think this would be nice with leeks as well.

This is great as a side dish for grilled chicken, alone with a big salad … or just by itself because you cannot stop eating it and are VERY impressed with your own creation!

Shepherd’s Pie

When I was a kid, as we drove up through Brewster, we would get to a certain point and my father would point to the top of the hill and say, “I have a friend who lives up there. Blankety Blank lives up there.” (Names omitted to protect the innocent). It came to the point that as those words came out of his mouth, my sister and I sighed, rolled our eyes in that way only little girls can, and finished the statement. And this went on for years, decades even.

Fast forward to the 21st Century. One of the people nearest and dearest to me in this life has my father’s habit of repeating the same story when certain touchstones are passed or smelled or said. Such is the case with this little hole in the wall restaurant that I keep being told makes the BEST Shepherd’s Pie any place. HA! My answer to this ridiculous statement – and you would agree if you ever saw this place! – always is the same “I make the best Shepherd’s Pie any place.”

Truth be told, I had NEVER made Shepherd’s Pie. I have always wanted to, have been in search for a great recipe for ages, but just never quite gotten there. The last pass by this “restaurant” and that silly statement being uttered, yet again, was juts the push I needed to get moving on this challenge!

And then I watched Lucinda Scala Quinn make Shepherd’s Pie on Mad Hungry, I knew this was the had-to-make recipe. This wasn’t just any old Shepherd’s Pie, but Keith Richards’ Shepherd Pie. I printed it and forgot it.

Desperately looking for something to read, I picked a book from Tom’s unending ‘to be read’ pile. Keith Richards’ autobiography, Life, caught my eye. If nothing else, it should be wildly entertaining. And while reading, I came across the fact that Shepherd’s Pie is Keith’s favorite thing to eat. And then the light bulb went off and I remembered that Lucinda Scala Quinn had adapted this recipe from his autobiography.

It was a sign from above – no, not God, Julia Child.

• 8 T butter (1 stick), divided
• 5 potatoes, peeled and halved
• 3 T milk, plus more if needed
• 1 large onion, finely chopped, divided in half
• 2 pounds ground lamb
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1/4 C Worcestershire
• 1/2 C chicken or beef stock
• 2 t cornstarch dissolved in 4 t water
• coarse salt
• 1/4 t white pepper
• 1 C frozen peas, thawed and drained

Preheat oven to 400.

In a large saute pan on medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter and saute 1/2 of chopped onion, carrots and celery until softened. Add the meat and salt and cook on high, stirring occasionally until the moisture is evaporated and the meat is browning in fat, about 15 minutes.

When meat is browned, stir in Worcestershire and cook 1 minute. Stir in chicken stock and cornstarch-water mixture and simmer for additional minute to thicken.

Peel and halve potatoes. Place in pot and cover with cold water to 2 inches above potatoes. Add generous amount of salt. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain potatoes and return to pot (or transfer to bowl). Mash the potatoes with 4 tablespoons butter, white pepper and a few tablespoons of milk until smooth. Add more milk if needed to make potatoes creamy.

In a 2-quart casserole dish, evenly distribute the cooked meat, top with peas and remaining chopped onion and dollop mashed potatoes on top.

Dot top of potatoes with remaining 2 tablespoons butter.

Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, until warmed through and potatoes are golden on top, and pie is bubbling.

This was so good! The entire thing was gone. Take that little hole in the wall restaurant! I shake my fist in your general direction. No way YOUR Shepherd’s Pie is better than mine! And dear friend, come over any time and I’ll school ya on great Shepherd’s Pie! Thanks Keith and Lucinda!